And Then There Was Silence
by takokunnn
Summary: In which Kageyama is a king and Hinata fights alongside him. Really slight kagehina that it's probably unnoticeable. A sad story. Sorry for hiatus.


"Kageyama, I want to fight by your side."  
"Do you really?"

Metal clashes against metal, the stench of gunpowder and blood invades his nose, and for a moment he fears that he is going to be sick. _No, focus,_ he tells himself, narrowly avoiding a sword aimed at his neck, cutting dangerously close to his face. A swing, then another, and his opponent is on the ground, sword violently wedged into his chest. Kageyama frowns as he pulled out the blade, one feet planted on the corpse. Crimson comes close to staining his hand, dripping down the sharp edge of metal to the steadily flowing pool at his feet. There is too much blood and he doesn't think he can take anymore of this, as much as he tries to put on a brave front. He is a king after all, and what would his people do if they were to find their leader stricken with nausea? He has to be strong for their sake.

"Kageyama, I will always protect you."  
"If it comes to that."

The bloodshed is coming to an end, it seems, corpses strewn about the palace grounds, blood puddles in the hallways. He finishes off the last few enemies, almost wincing as the gore splatters onto him, marking him with nightmares to come, and he knows, he _just knows_ that the images of these awful deeds will forever be haunting him, and perhaps one day he would finally snap, drowning in the horrors of his inner demon. _They were innocent men._

"Kageyama, be careful out there."  
"Idiot, worry about yourself."

From faraway he can see, admist the smoke and the rubbles of the crumbling palace, the silhouette of his most loyal servant and beloved friend, Hinata. They had grown up together, despite the differences existing in terms of status and personality. He was both Kageyama's greatest strength and fatal weakness, he'd do anything to keep the pure and radiant soul safe. Though, to be fair, said pure and radiant soul is perfectly capable of that himself.

"Kageyama, I would sacrifice my life for yours."  
"Perhaps."

Hinata approaches him, shoulders sagging from exhaustion. A smile, albeit weighted down by fatigue, manages to worm its way onto Kageyama's face.

"Hey, how's it going?" Kageyama asks, sliding his sword back into its sheath. The ginger grins at him- innocent, while his own had been tainted by the countless wars, no, _murders_ long ago- saying, "Not bad, looks like we'd be done soon-"

The expression on his face changes abruptly. Wrenched from his face, Kageyama thought, startled, and then he feels a push and hears a shout and as he regains his focus he sees red and its not just because of the blood- _ohgodpleaseno_\- but because there is a sword wedged through the very person he couldn't stand to lose.

He doesn't just see the red anymore, he feels it in his veins as though his own blood is on fire, scorching his insides with searing heat, burning his heart, burning and tearing it with sadistic glee. He chokes back a pathetic sob, and he knows his right hand had drawn the sword more than he feels it. Fear and rage hits him right in the chest and he blacks out, just in time to wake up to the sight of the decapitated enemy soldier hitting the ground, and Kageyama is vaguely aware that he is doing the same. His gaze shifts to Hinata, desperation clutching at his throat.

"Oi, are you okay? Hey, you- you can't," he struggles to get the words out, and Hinata, _beautiful precious innocent _Hinata touches his face with a smile, and he says it's all going to be alright, but its not, its so far away from being alright and he really does choke now, the wetness on his face betraying the fear and guilt he feels, and Hinata says its really alright because Kageyama is still alive and that makes me really happy and you have to be strong when I'm-

And Hinata is crying, fucking _crying_, and his heart clenches tightly at the sight and he probably is really sobbing pitifully now, and Hinata coughs and winces and tries to breathe and Kageyama thinks that when Hinata- when he-

Neither of them can say the word.

"You can't go," Kageyama whispers, voice cracking and he thinks that his heart did as well. Hinata coughs again, struggling to speak, and when he does they both hear the strain behind the voice.

"B-be a good king, okay? And don't miss me- don't- not too much, and I- I don't blame you, so don't-" A coughing fit takes over, there's blood coming out and Kageyama looks for a sign- any sign- that Hinata has not yet- And he looks into the hazel brown eyes that he knows sparkles in the sun when they practiced archery just a week ago and sees himself shrieking and disheveled and these are not Hinata's eyes- he can't see the boy behind his eyes and he doesn't want to acknowledge the growing sense of dread so he keeps screaming, shouting for Hinata to _just come back_ until his throat feels raw and he tastes blood. He stops, breathes.

And then there was silence.


End file.
